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Synonyms

cranky

1 American  
[krang-kee] / ˈkræŋ ki /

adjective

crankier, crankiest

  1. ill-tempered; grouchy; cross.

    I'm always cranky when I don't get enough sleep.
    Synonyms:
    perverse, cantankerous, crotchety

  2. eccentric; queer.

  3. shaky; unsteady; out of order.

  4. full of bends or windings; crooked.

  5. British Dialect. sickly; in unsound or feeble condition; infirm.

cranky 2 American  
[krang-kee] / ˈkræŋ ki /

adjective

Nautical.

  1. crank.

cranky 1 British  
/ ˈkræŋkɪ /

adjective

  1. informal eccentric

  2. informal fussy and bad-tempered

  3. shaky; out of order

  4. full of bends and turns

  5. dialect unwell

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
cranky 2 British  
/ ˈkræŋkɪ /

adjective

  1. nautical another word for crank 2

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • crankily adverb
  • crankiness noun

Etymology

Origin of cranky1

First recorded in 1780–90; crank 1 + -y 1

Origin of cranky2

First recorded in 1835–45; crank 2 + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Every time I got close to one of the cranky old sisters, she puffed up ten times bigger than she actually was and started squawking and pecking.

From Literature

In reality, though, it’s the options premium they really like, and they tend to get cranky if the stock declines and they must buy it.

From Barron's

I’m not cranky or moody, I’m not scattered or stressed.

From The Wall Street Journal

The cows might be cranky, but they were never in that good a mood anyway.

From Literature

If he didn't get outside soon his mother would start to get cranky.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.